COVENTRY -- All that dedication -- to say nothing of all that marching -- has paid off for Coventry High School's Air Force Junior ROTC Drill Team, which recently won the national drill championships for the fifth year in a row.
"It's a matter of snap and dedication and team effort," said Master Sgt. Marc Boulay, who directs the squad of 15 students, adding that they practice three times a week. "They don't really have a lot of free time."
In the national tourney, held in Macon, Ga., the Coventry team competed against 43 schools in the armed division, which involves drilling with rifles. Boulay said there are four categories of competition: inspection; exhibition drill, which is choreographed for flair; regular drill, which involves 50 basic drill commands carried out in sequence, and color guard.
"Our kids do them all," Boulay said. He said the second-place team, from San Antonio, Texas, had 100 members and specialized units, while all the members of Coventry's team competed in all four categories. "They're versatile," he said.
The members of the team include seniors Marisa Powers (team commander), Kaitlin Masso, Samantha Maini, Victoria Thompson, Matthew Nagel and Christopher DeMello; juniors Michael Lindley (team vice commander), Rick Bouchard, Joseph Charron, Dennis Haubrich, Lindsey-Rae Lanoue and Jesse Wayne; sophomores Jessica Masso and Jennell Piche, and freshmen Matthew Butts and Teaira Perry.
Next year's national championships will be held in Washington, D.C.